Nature’s Path, Organic Trailblazer, Is Our Good Food Business Of The Year

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Nature’s Path co-founder Arran Stephens and his wife/co-CEO Ratana Stephens are longtime advocate for organic farming, and leveraged that passion to build the largest independent organic breakfast and snack food company in North America. So it was natural for FamilyFarmed to present Nature’s Path and Arran Stephens with its 2018 Good Food Business of the Year Award at its Good Food EXPO on March 23 in Chicago.

“Nature’s Path epitomizes what’s right with organic food and has been on the forefront of this booming industry for more than 33 years,” said FamilyFarmedCEO Jim Slama. “They are strongly committed to sustainability, regenerative farming practices, philanthropy and growing the organic food movement.”

Nature’s Path is based in the Canadian city of Vancouver, British Columbia and has three manufacturing facilities, including one near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Nature’s Path is the only cereal company in North America to be have all of its facilities Zero Waste Certified — and the company is committed to be carbon neutral by 2020.

Nature’s Path was originally known for cereals and has expanded into a full line of breakfast and snack foods. All of its products are organic, vegetarian and Non-GMO. Many are also gluten-free and vegan.

Arran Stephens of Nature’s Path at FamilyFarmed’s Good Food EXPO on March 23 in Chicago. Arran participated in a symposium on regenerative agriculture and accepted FamilyFarmed’s Good Food Business of the Year Award at the EXPO’s Good Food Trade Show. Photo: Christopher Dilts/Family Farmed

Nature’s Path is fiercely independent, family owned and guided by a mission to “always leave the earth better than they found it.” Arran and Ratana Stephens are joined in the Nature’s Path leadership team by two of their three daughters and a son, who are passionately involved in various aspects of the enterprise. Arjan Stephens is Executive Vice President for Sales and Marketing, Jyoti Stephens is Vice President for People, Culture and Mission, and Gurdeep Stephens is Director of Special Projects.

The family is strongly committed to philanthropy. Nature’s Path donates 1 percent of annual sales to food banks, endangered species, community organic gardens in economically depressed areas, school gardens and other vetted charities. More than $22 million has been given back over the past 10 years.

Nature’s Path sources grain from more than 120,000 acres of farmland. As a commitment to the future of organic and to ensure its supply of organic grains, the company has purchased thousands of acres of farmland that is cultivated using regenerative organic practices. Most recently, Stephens announced that he had purchased an additional 5,000 acres of farmland in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.

FamilyFarmed and Nature’s Path have a rich history dating to their collaboration on the Keep Organic Organic Campaign, which successfully fought to ensure strong USDA organic standards. They are currently working on an Organic Grain Promotion Initiative to build supply chains for local organic grains in the Midwest.

Arran Stephens of Nature’s Path (right) chatted with longtime organic grain producer Harold Wilken of The Mill at Janie’s Farm during the Good Food Marketplace at FamilyFarmed’s Good Food EXPO on March 23 in Chicago. Photo: Bob Benenson/FamilyFarmed

“Nature’s Path is humbled and honored to receive the Good Food Business of the Year Award in recognition of our commitment to people, planet and the Good Food movement,” said Arran Stephens.

“We look forward to continued collaboration with FamilyFarmed and the Good Food EXPO as we work towards our shared vision to ensure that delicious, healthy food is accessible to all, and produced as close to home as possible by family farmers and producers who use sustainable, humane and fair practices.

Previous recipients of FamilyFarmed’s Good Food Business of the Year Award include S2G Ventures, Organic Valley, Whole Foods Market and Goodness Greenness.

Ten Delicious Facts About Chicago Good Food

Family Farmed is proud of the blossoming Good Food movement in our hometown of Chicago, so we put together a list of 10 Delicious Facts about Good Food in the Windy City (click on the photo to read the article). We want our readers to know what's happening in your hometown, too! If you would like to contribute a column about your Good Food scene, please contact bob@familyfarmed.org

Good Food n. /güd/ /füd/

1. Delicious, healthy food, accessible to all, produced as close to home as possible by family farmers and producers who use sustainable, humane, and fair practices. 2. A fast-growing movement creating vast numbers of jobs and economic development by providing people with food that matches their values.